Saturday, February 7, 2015

Pope Francis will meet with all the Cardinals of the world, along with those to be created on February 14, in Rome on Thursday and Friday, February 12 and 13.

We have been informed that the agenda will focus on the ongoing restructuring of the Vatican Curia, the various offices which assist the Pope in his governance of the Universal Church.

This will be fascinating, and it is becoming increasingly obvious that Pope Francis is leading all of us disciples of Jesus into a fuller and deeper relationship with Jesus as a first step. Any renewal of the broader Church must begin with our own personal renewal in and through Jesus. Then, Pope Francis is pointing us to a simpler organizational and administrative structure, preferring the simpler model of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles. This model places greater autonomy at the local levels of the Church, as lived out historically in the Eastern Catholic Churches and in the Orthodox Churches.

Over the centuries, the local level model gave way to a more centralized governing in the Vatican. It is apparent that Pope Francis is now helping to re-shape the Church and using more fully those ancient structures which have been so pastorally fruitful: Councils, Metropolitan Provinces, Synods, and Patriarchs. Note the Pope's decision to have the Pallium for new Archbishops bestowed in their Metropolitan Sees, not in Rome; and involving all of the Suffragan Dioceses in that process.

I have great hopes for the direction which Pope Francis is guiding us, and the Holy Spirit will surely be present and active the week of February 9 to 15.

Please pray for Pope Francis and all of the Cardinals attending these important sessions.

Post-Sacrament Evangelization

This Power Point presentation on "Post-Sacrament Evangelization" was given by Cardinal Roger Mahony at the 2014 Religious Education Congress. You are free to use it any way that helps evangelize our people following the reception of the Sacraments.

About Cardinal Mahony Blogs L.A.

Cardinal Roger Mahony Blogs L.A. is the official blog of the Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony. Cardinal Mahony is the fourth and recently retired Archbishop of Los Angeles. Born in Hollywood, he is the first native Angeleno to be created Cardinal.

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT: Cardinal Mahony has served on a number of committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including those on Pro-Life Activities, and Migration & Refugees. He was a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (1984-1989) and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants (1986-1991); he is presently a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications (1989-2911), the Congregation for Eastern Churches (2009-2013), and on the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See (2000 to 2013. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.